Currently we are seeing a significant increase in supply of glycerol on the market, largely due to worldwide expansion of biodiesel production. In the process of production of biodiesel, glycerol is a by-product generated at a weight ratio of 10/1 (biodiesel/glycerol).
However, this excess in the supply of glycerol has a direct impact on reduction of its commercial value, so that its use in various other applications becomes viable.
Various studies have been initiated with the aim of making use of this surplus glycerol as a raw material for the production of new products.
The number of technical publications on this subject is increasing as solutions are being devised for utilizing this glycerol surplus.
One of the products under investigation that is arousing interest is propylene glycol and its production from glycerol, whatever its origin.